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Utumishi Girls to reopen as principal sent on leave
Parents take photographs of the ruins of the dormitory following an overnight fire at the Utumishi Girls' Academy Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru county, Kenya May 28, 2026.
Utumishi Girls Academy in Gilgil, Nakuru County, is set to reopen on Thursday after it was closed by the Ministry of Education following an arson incident that killed 16 students.
The school's principal Joycelene Muraguri has been sent on compulsory leave as investigations into the fire, which also left 79 students injured, continue.
Ms Rufina Nkonge, the principal of Langalanga Secondary School, has been posted to Utumishi Girls Academy to take charge of the institution following the administrative action against Ms Muraguri.
Rift Valley Regional Director of Education James Indimuli confirmed the changes and said the reopening had been postponed from Tuesday to Thursday following consultations with parents and other stakeholders.
“We met parents and took note of the issues they raised regarding the reopening and the management of the institution going forward,” Mr Indimuli said.
Parents at Utumishi Girls Senior School in Gilgil, Nakuru County on May 28, 2026 after 16 students perished in a dormitory fire.
The return of students has been staggered, with Form Four students reporting on Thursday, Grade 10 learners returning on Monday next week and Form Three students reporting on Thursday next week.
Grade 10 learners will be accommodated in the two dormitories that were not affected by the fire, with additional space created in the dining hall, which will temporarily house some students.
Two classrooms have also been converted into dormitories to ease congestion, while the dining hall is expected to accommodate about 150 learners.
A makeshift tent has been erected to house Form Three students who are expected to return next week.
The school was closed on May 28 to allow investigations into the fire, give families time to bury the 16 students who died and enable learners to undergo counselling following the traumatic incident.
Nakuru County Director of Education Victoria Mulili dismissed claims by parents that 12 teachers had been transferred from the school following the tragedy that shocked the nation.
Parents have demanded that the Ministry of Education outline the measures put in place to guarantee the safety of their children once learning resumes.
The previous school board has been dissolved and replaced with an interim board comprising two representatives from the National Police Service, two parents and one representative from the Ministry of Education. The interim team will serve for three months.
Officials also revealed that the school had previously been grappling with water shortages, but the problem has since been resolved.
Meanwhile, eight students arrested in connection with the arson attack appeared before the High Court in Kibera on Friday, June 26, but plea-taking was deferred pending mental assessment.
The trial judge ruled that the suspects could not be required to plead to the 16 counts of murder, which carry either the death penalty or life imprisonment upon conviction, before a psychiatrist determines whether they are fit to stand trial.
The judge also directed that the ages of the suspects be established by a medical doctor before plea taking.
Parents, guardians or lawyers have been ordered to accompany the suspects to court on July 1, 2026, when the matter comes up again.
All the 16 students who died in the fire have since been buried. Of the 79 students who sustained injuries, eight have been discharged from Kenyatta National Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Some of the victims remain confined to wheelchairs, and it remains unclear whether they will be able to resume learning when the school reopens.
Schools across the country reopened on Monday after the mid-term break amid concerns over a wave of unrest reported in several institutions.
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